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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

I'm sure you have heard already that Equatorial Kuala Lumpur will be soon closing their doors.

The target date is 31 March, when they start tearing the old hotel to make way for the new.

While rumours are adrift on whether the hotel returns or not, one thing is sure we will be missing this stalwart when it is gone.

I have fond memories for the whole hotel since I was a kid.

Long ago, the Golden Phoenix Restaurant was THE Chinese restaurant in Kuala Lumpur.

Every time we had an occasion to celebrate, it would be held there. So many fond memories for its dishes such as the onion chicken (crispy skin chicken topped with aromatic onions), the apple fish (their sweet and sour fish with sliced apples instead), the sponge-like tofu with its holes and the sharks fin soup. Their yee sang was also the best in town.

However things went pear shaped for them as the old chef retired and most of the loyal staff also left to join one of the off shoots i.e. Pik Wah at MABA Building. Even though the hotel kept serving the old dishes, things were never the same.

I also loved Chalet as a child and it used to make me laugh whenever they served the sabayon since they put up such a performance whisking the cream until one of the waiters would dance around the trolley.

Etoile for us was where we got our goodies and birthday cakes. Then for Kampachi, it was for maximum Japanese pleasure especially their buffets. When I was a kid it would have been the Sunday all you can eat one but nowadays I prefer the Saturday version where you pick and order what you like.

Hence we decided to give the place a last hurrah before it closes.

Friends of mine have been visiting it regularly to relish its last moments. Best you all start jumping on the bandwagon too.

The selection is small but good enough to satisfy our hungry tummies.

We order loads of sashimi - salmon, yellowtail, butterfish and tuna. Everything is super fresh and delicious. They also do hand rolls.

There is also a selection of appetizers laid out on a table for us to select and of course, we all get plates of edamame to snack on. There are also makis (rolls) and deep fried soft shell crab.

I love the teppanyaki steak, cooked to medium juicy perfection. There is also sukiyaki and assorted tempura.

We discover that the cold soba noodles are wonderful and bouncy that we all order bowls to slurp it down. The hot cooked ones don't stand a chance against the cold ones as they seem almost flaccid compared to the more elastic tasting strands.

To end, it was green tea ice cream and something not on the menu, mini dorayaki or pancakes.

They are beautifully cooked and look more like blinis except we slather on creamy peanut butter and red bean paste to enjoy the Japanese sweets.

KampachiEquatorial Kuala LumpurJalan Sultan IsmailKuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2161 7777

(Pork Free. The buffet set lunch for Saturday is from 12 noon to 2.30pm for RM90++ per person. For the full set of pictures, see the Flickr set.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

This Hotel F&B outlets will always have a special place in my heart! My Dad's insisted his assistant ta pau food from Kampachi probably knowing that would be his last. I proposed to my wife at Chalet. I ate my very 1st King Alaskan crab @ Golden Phoenix. And many family meals at all the outlets! I won't forget dancing @ the lounge & yes I will be sad when this nostalgic building is brought down!Goodbye old Equtorial! :(